Phoenix Arms: The story of Lock Ostrie
by Lock Ostire
Summary: Lock is a mercenary. He has gone though some hard times, but that is all about to change soon. Based in the world of Mega Man X, see X's world world from the eyes of a soul not bound to either the hunters or the mavericks. Takes place around X8.
1. ReBirth

Phoenix Arms:

The story of Lock Ostrie.  
Part: 1

Re-Birth

The cool mountain breeze moved around me as I climbed a hill that was near my old house. The soft grass under my boots, the few airy clouds that where suspended in the sky, and the green trees that dotted the hill. I go to my favorite spot underneath a tree. As I lay down on my back, I remember the old days of my past, when I was young.

I don't remember my parents; they died in a maverick raid soon after I was born. I was raised by my grandfather with an orphan named Sapphire. My grandfather was a mechanic and blacksmith.

Yes, I know that sounds odd that in this day of repliods and buster guns that there would be blacksmiths. But then again it is fitting; after all, blacksmiths were technically the first engineers and metallurgists. Yea, I'm also a blacksmith, made my own swords, a falchion named Scinfaxi and a schiavona called Vishounder. I also made my own armor. 

Yeh, I love to make things with my hands. I'm an engineer, but not the kind you normally think of. I can't stand sitting around in an office designing the whole project on a computer screen, for me, I do my best work in the lab, and shop. I would compare my kind of engineering to Edison's style rather than your office monkey guy.

Anyway, the two of us went to the local school, and taught ourselves what we wanted to learn. It was when we were in our late teens that we discovered something special between us. We never considered each other as family, but rather as friends. I remember that day like it was yesterday. The two of us where right here, lying down in the grass when she rolled over onto me and looked into my eyes, we both knew what we were going to say, but a barely was able to say 'I love you' when she kissed me. It was a great feeling to be with her. She was very kind and caring, but had a feisty side and was independent and intelligent. We had similar interests and liked to do some of the same stuff.

Up to this point, I had remained in my little village in Slovakia. Sure, everyone goes 'look at me, I'm a sexy Italian fashion designer' or 'Arr, I have rough and rowdy Irish fighting blood.' Yet you tell someone your Slovak and they give you the WTF look. Hell, we are the though and independent ones. As NATO's eastern-most territory, we have to be.

Speaking of my former employer, they are the ones that run the EU's military. Sapphire and I both joined the naval academy at 18 and both went into the naval air squadron while earning our degrees. Things were going good until that fateful day when they came…

The Machina ex Humanus Corporation

Me and Sapphire had finally gotten to the point were we wanted to make the final step. I was going to propose to her while we were on the ship. It was a clear night when I decided to make my move. She was out on the docks in our home port when I saw her. I was going to propose when I blacked out.

What happened after that is a long story, but to make things quick, I was turned into a repliod while she…no longer exists in this world.

I got up from my spot on the grass, leaving my imprint on the ground. Turning back to see my favorite spot, I smile at all the good times I had in the past their and continue down to my shop at the bottom of the valley.

My name is Lock Ostrie.

This is my life.


	2. Essences & Vessels

Phoenix Arms:

The story of Lock Ostrie.

Part: 2

Essences & Vessels

I entered that place were so many of my memories of years past took place. Christmas mornings, days were we explored how the world worked; even the simple times spent watching movies together. This is where they belonged…

"I'm back."

It was a statement aimed at no person, just a reaction. The only thing that herd those pressure waves of sound were the walls. Stepping into the hallway, I found myself confronted by too opposing forces.

My memory was on one side of the battle. It contained all the events that happened in the past, should be happing now, and would have happened in the future. I my mind I hear the T.V running the local twelve o'clock news, the smell of food coming from the kitchen, Sapphire walking up to me and kissing my check and saying 'I missed you Lock'. All those happy times spent reading in front of the fireplace, all warm and cozy with her, the nights we spent together in our bedroom. All those things that made life whole, full, wroth living, yet, like a vapor of sweet scents, it lacks form. It's all essence without a vessel to contain it.

That vessel was this house… the building that was once my home. This building fell from grace and lost the title of home when the essence was removed from it. It is an empty, cold place. Its brick construction was sturdy, yet time had slowly worn the bricks on the outside of the house to a smooth, but still rough, surface. The only rugged bricks were the ones that comprised the walls of the living room and fireplace.

My legs moved automatically forward and I looked around to find familiar spaces, the family room with its brick walls, T.V., fireplace, and wooden floor with a rug in the middle was to the left. Straight ahead and the side is the kitchen and our library is to the right. The stairs to go down to our shop was to the left, and the ones to upstairs were on the right at the entrance.

I've always liked it. It's very quaint and peaceful.

With a great sigh, I move my tired body to the stairs and up them to reach a straight hallway with three doors. The right one lead's to my bedroom that I once shared with Sapphire, the one straight ahead leads to the bathroom, and the one on the right leads to Grandpa's room, or at least it used to be. He died soon after I returned from my transformation, well, more correctly after my stint as a pirate.

But that's a whole another story.

I entered my room, my armor and weapons were on my desk were I had left them. But then again, they can't move, so where else would they be? I walk over to my closet, and take off my dark blue duster and hanged it up. Walking over to my bed, I look at myself in the large floor mirror that is beside Sapphire's dresser.

The fist thing that anyone can tell about me is that I'm big boned with broad shoulders. Kind of like a football player, but not quite as much. I wouldn't say I'm buff, but I do got a good bit of muscle on me. My skin has a healthy tan, and that's pretty much it… oh. My eyes are a deep shade of blue, they were originally brown. As for my hair, it is short, although it comes pretty close to my eyebrows. It's a dark brown but the interesting thing about it is the deep blue tips and highlights. It's odd, and anyone looking at my closely can easily tell. Thankfully, the brown is dominant enough to mask it from a distance.

As for my clothes, I tend to keep to plain things, no need to make a fashion statement. I tend to stick to blue, greens, grays, browns. You know, those earth tones. I tend to wear basic somewhat baggy stuff, although I do wear some nicer stuff every once in a while.

Overall, I wouldn't say I'm a hunk or sexy, but I think I'm a least am a little good looking. I don't particularly care though, I'm happy with the way I am.

Heading over to my bead, I sit upon it and gaze out at my hometown a little ways down the road; it is no more than a twenty five minuet walk away from here. It's a nice little place, hardly any crime, and everyone knows each other by their name. It doesn't have all the things a big city or town would have but I still like it.

Looking out at my hometown, I reflect on that moment that changed my life.

I'd better start at the beginning, the Machina ex Humanus Corporation, better known as MeH, has always been a shadowy organization, ever making any public meetings or press conferences. It was rumored they make cybernetic implants for soldiers. However, as I found out, they sell the vast majority on the black market for criminal organizations and mercenary groups. Me and sapphire were the test subjects for the group, we had no idea why were where chosen, but Machina ex Humanus Corporation seemed to targeted us for a specific reason.

After we abducted, I was apparently put into some kind of coma while Sapphire was experimented on. When I woke up I was in some kind of lab, on a table hooked up to a whole bunch of machines, and tubes. All I could remember was that all my nerves were in great pain and my head felt like it was one big migraine. Apparently, from what I found out later, I was the first successful human to have his neural system enhanced with microcontrollers and nano-machines

What happened was that a mixture of nano-machines and chemicals slowly turned my brain and neurons into 'bio-circuitry', a mix of biological parts that become circuitry. How can I say that I'm the same Lock as in the memories of my past? I really can't say, but I believe it has to do with the fact that I was conscious for the whole painful twenty hour event.

Every second of it.

After that enjoyable experience I was knocked out and my body was, for a lack of a better term, upgraded and I was put into my current body. Granted, I made a few changes, mostly aesthetic. After my new, cybernetic body was completed I was forced to perform a series of tests. Thankfully, I was bailed out when some pirates hired by someone came to steal the technology here, aka, me. So thus I was able to escape my cell, and found Sapphire in extreme pain, apparently, they screwed it up with her and she was near death. I…

Screw this… mopping isn't going to do anything. She's gone, and she wanted me to be happy, not constantly morn her. Besides, it's been five years since that incident and a month since I came back form my stint as a pirate-merc.

That's a whole another story…

Sighing, I get up, "I need to get out of here and get a drink, badly." Getting up, I put on my Duster and head out to the local village watering hole.

Otherwise known as the pub.


	3. Vamir

Phoenix Arms:

The story of Lock Ostrie.

Part: 3

Vamir

I lock the door as I exit my home and walk down the street. Between my house and the town there is a small valley with a few houses and a couple of farms. Walking down the paved road, I remember all the times I walked this route with Sapphire and grandpa on the way into town. It isn't that bad of a day for a walk, it's still around midday, about one o'clock, and the sun is out with some clouds. It is about 50 degrees out side. Yes, I know the world uses the metric system, but I converted to the imperial system when I was in the navy. Why? Well, it was the simple fact that all the gages on our ship where in imperial units. You see, my fleet, the 4th fleet, is a 'reserve' fleet. In other words, we were to go to potential trouble spots and if a war broke out, we would be there to defend the area until the other fleets could get their to carry on the war. As such, we were equipped with old… no… better described as antique equipment.

Our fleet was a motley collection of old ships from different navies, hell, we even had two battleships from World War Two, I think they were Iowa class. The only thing I remember about those two ships where the 16in main gun batteries. Those sexy guns… I just droll at the thought of them. The raw, sexy, firepower of those guns… heck, when the Union of North African and Arabic states started to attack some of our merchant marine, we attacked their fleet in Alexandra. Those guns ripped the shoreline to pieces (I was flying in an escort for the jammer aircraft so the fleet could get close and not be detected, and saw the SAM and AAA sites get pummeled along with the fleet first hand.) and allowed our landing craft to come in and land the troops. (In fact whole reason for bringing the big guns in was to raise the moral of the ground forces as well as to save our cruise missiles for hitting targets further inland as well as for supporting the army when the counter attack came.)

That's not to say they we were completely primitive, the navy did spare us funds every now and then to upgrade our ships, and they were pretty effective, our flagship, as well as my ship, the Kestrel, was a pretty modern for an Aircraft Carrier. Although the aircraft on board was more diverse than the people who attend the UN, hell, even some squadrons had a different aircraft for each pilot. To compensate for our equipment, they were very, I repeat, very flexible with the rules, and nobody particularly cared for them unless you screwed up your job.

If you have seen photos of a pink F-4 Phantom, Su-33 Flanker-D, F-18 Hornet and F-14 Tomcat (I envied that girl for getting F-14, she was a year younger than me, and Sapphire nearly tossed me overboard once because she thought I was hitting on her when in reality I was obsessing over her aircraft.) in formation, you can be assured that was a real squadron of all female pilots that thought it would be funny to do that. (Also, we really did use aircraft that old, after all, how do you think we got our nickname the 'junkyard fleet'). Well they started a new tradition that if you lose a bet and are unable to pay for it, you would 'Join the pink squadron' and your bird would get a temporary coating of pink paint. It would wash off pretty quickly after a mission or two.

Where was I… Oh… that thing with the units. Well, I had just rolled out of bed when I looked at the temperature outside and the thing said 38. I thought it meant Celsius when in fact it meant Fahrenheit. Not knowing the time, and not particularly caring, I went topside in my shorts and t-shirt. When I had gotten up to the flight deck and outside I received quite a few looks from the aircrew bundled up as well as a gust of cold air from the night sky. I would have backed up inside if a long procession of aircrew and pilots got up for routine flight patrols. Finding the nearest door, I jumped in and crawled back into my bunk. Sapphire was awake and looked at me and laughed, "Are you awake now Lock?". Ah yes, finally a good memory, don't get too many of those nowadays. Anyways, that's why I know both systems now.

Well, that was a long tangent; I have a tendency to do that… my bad. Anyways I now stand at the edge of town, a 25 minuet walk isn't so bad if you know the road and don't focus on the walk its self and just do it. It goes by quicker than you'd think. Anyways, I now head to one of my favorite spots, veering right; I head up into town until I see an open space ahead. It has a small, curricular park in the center with a pavilion and flower garden in the center and a road that goes around the outside. A few cars drive around the road and all sorts of buildings surround the plaza. Looking to the far side of the plaza and across the way, I see a familiar sight, the local inn and tavern nestled between the road leading out along the edge of town, and the road to the left leading gradually up and to the center of town. Its wide concave surface is covered in brick and stained glass windows. I walk across the street, looking both ways before I cross, and walk though the park.

The brick pathway was worn smooth with time and it was a cool red. I gaze out at the few picnickers and couples sitting down and enjoying this nice spring day. The dating scene out here is actually bleak as most single people leave this town and mostly older people or married coupled with children. Children are little devils… all they do is run around screaming their heads off, bang into something, and then cry some more. Such a waste of resources… and people think they are so cute. I personally find them annoying, but I'm still nice to them, as they will (hopefully) outgrow that stage. Oh well, at least we have a game store.

Getting my mind back on track, I smell the fine scents of roses and tulips in our garden as I pass though it and the pavilion. It's always pretty out here in the spring with all the flowers.

I soon reach the other end of the park and spy my target. Looking both ways, I gaze upon the one and only "Daniel's Tavern and Inn" as I cross the street. I walk over to the heavy dark oaken door and look at its fine wood carvings and open it. Walking inside, I look upon the familiar settings, the carved wooden bar with the barstools, the high backed and very comfortable booths next to the windows, and most of all Daniel.

Daniel has run this place for all his life, as it has been the family for centuries. I've heard that he has a big family, so I guess that's true. Anyways he's the owner. Nice guy, average build, and good at fiancés and drink mixing as well as general knowledge of the town, he also runs the only local hotel witch is above me. Their's also the chief, Jean-Louis, as you can tell, he's French. He found this little spot while on his journey to become the world's greatest chief, and has stayed here ever since. Their's also the two waiters Dom and Eric.

"Hey, if it isn't our good old buddy Lock." Said Daniel, "How are you doing?"

"Good, and you?"

"Preparing for the 2:30 storm."

I laughed a bit, this place always go busy around two o'clock, "Anyways it's just me today."

Eric came up from behind the counter, "It's good to see you Lock, your favorite spot is open."

"Sure." I walked over to the right and sat down at the booth with a gorgeous stained glass window of a forest and some animals. Sitting down on the padded both I take off my coat and put it beside me.

"So, what would you like to eat?"

I didn't need to look at the menu on the table as had memorized it from the numerous times I've been here, "Potato soup, grilled cheese sandwich, and a Lime-Lemon soda."

He walked away with my order to go tell Jean in the back. Now, a Lime-Lemon soda isn't like sprite or sierra mist, rather it is plain soda water with pure lime and lemon juice, and lots of it. It's very fresh and I rather like it, better than the regular soda that is.

As I sit and wait for my food, I look at how the colored light from the windows shines in on the bar as well as the lights above us. I listen to the few other customers speaking about the town's events, including the upcoming fencing tournament that will be held the town square next week. That's when I saw this woman walk in the place, she wore an old military coat and officers cap, probably Russian army surplus. I did notice that she had a small pack on her back and that her hair was black and was tied in a ponytail that came out the back of her neck.

She looked at Daniel and asked him a question, "I'm looking for a smithy…" (Oh) I thought, (maybe she's looking for one of our many goldsmiths for a ring, or some kind of decoration. Our little town of Vamir's nickname is after all Smithtown for all the metalworking facilities we have here.) I shrugged, she shouldn't have a hard time finding one.

Daniel smiled, many visitors come in asking for locations of shops and what not. A goldsmith and a guy who've I met a few times, Ivan, smiled and looked at the lady. Daniel asked the female, "What for? We got all kinds of smiths and metalworkers in this town Miss…

"Dyne, I'm here for a sword smith."

Now this is were the fun begins, normally, people who ask for swords around this time want to join the main sword fighting tournament we hold every year in the spring. Now you see, we don't have any qualifying matches, but we don't like it when people who have no idea what they are doing that come to our town try to join the expert class. We have an expert, advanced, basic, and rookie classes so people can fight at their own level. Our biggest gripe is rookies and basic people in expert since experts need their own real swords to use in the matches and we don't want idiots getting hurt, even when we dull our blades. Anyways, we play a little joke on them that involves sending them to all the smiths in town in the hope that they would give up and leave with something form one of us. While any smith could produce a practice sword, only a swords smith could produce the fine weapons needed for the tournament.

That being said, I'm the only sword smith in town who can make combat swords, the only other person who could up and left while I was gone. There are two other guys who can produce replicas as museum pieces or for people into collecting swords as art pieces and investments, but swing them and they'll shatter or bend on impact.

So begins another year of fun and games for us smiths, as well a little extra gold in our pockets. Some of the customers, blacksmiths that I knew, started chuckling and planning out this year's snipe hunt. Ivan, who had seen me come in smiled and gave me the here-we-go-again look. I shrugged, this was the first time I was going to have to go though this whole song and dance personally. Eric came back with my drink and whispered to me, "Here we go again Lock."

I nodded and looked as Daniel asked her, "What for? Are you looking for a replica, a practice sword for fencing or…" he waited as he wanted to draw attention to the point "… a real one for combat?"

The eyes of every smith looked upon Miss Dyne, who must have figured out that something was up, reaching inside her pack she bought out a katana in its sheath, "My sword is damaged and I need someone who can repair it. It's broken into two pieces with a whole lot of nicks in it. In fact…" She brought out a post-it sized note and read off it. "I'm looking for Ryan Ostrie of the smithy Phoenix Arms in particular."

The room grew silent for a moment, two guys toasted to that name and the rest glanced at me, I remained in shock.

She was talking about my grandfather. I had always known someone was going to mention that name, as he was a somewhat well-known smith who was respected by people who knew swords.

Ivan smiled at me and said and nodded, I got up from my booth and the room remained quiet, "I'm sorry."

Miss Dyne looked at me, and for the first time I saw her soft yet firm features, I could tell she was a mercenary like me, and most importantly that she was about my age, if not exactly it, "Huh?"

I didn't want to say it directly since I myself was getting over his death, but I forced my self to say it, "Ryan Ostrie is dead."

"Oh." She said with a downcast voice, "Do you know where I can find someone who can fix my blade?"

"I can. I'm Lock Ostrie of Phoenix Arms and the grandson of Ryan Ostrie. I'm a sword smith as well. Would you care to discuss your request over lunch?"

"Sure." As she walked over to me I thought one thing about my first costumer…

(She's cute.)

Occ: From here on out their will be more talk and less monologue. Enjoy! (And don't be afraid to post your comments, Lets me know what you guys and gals are thinking.)


	4. Spinning the yarn

Phoenix Arms:

The story of Lock Ostrie.

Part: 4

Spinning the yarn.

I smiled as Miss Dyne scooted into the both seat across from me, "So, Miss Dyne, are you here for the festival of blades?"

The young lady looked up at me and smiled as she gently shook her head, "No need to be formal, just call me Dyne. As for the tourney, no, I didn't know there was one, but, I'll join up."

"Okay, I'll sign you up then tomorrow. The tournament isn't for a week so you got plenty of time to rest up and practice. Anyways, can I ask you a stupid question?"

"Sure, go ahead." She had a look like I knew what I was going to ask her.

"Is Dyne your first name?"

She let out a sigh, "Yep. I bet you want to know how I got it?"

I raised my eyebrow at her "Well, a name like that for a woman is odd."

She had a face of mock anger "Hey, don't call me a woman, makes me feel old."

"Oh come on, it can't be that bad. You're probably 23, maybe 24. The same as me."

She rolled her eyes in defeat, "You got me, 23."

I chuckled a bit, "I just turned 24 a few weeks ago." I looked at her eyes for while and I thought I noticed something odd about them but I wasn't quite sure what it was.

I was about to comment on them until Eric came around, "Hey miss, do you want anything to eat?" Eric stole the words out of my mouth.

Dyne looked around to find the menu quickly, after finding it she opened it up quickly and found what she wanted, "I'll just have a BLT sandwich."

Eric walked away to give Dyne's order to Jean, as he turned away, Dyne spoke to me, "So Lock, tell me, what do you do for a living?"

"Me? I'm half Merc, Half Engineer. I use my metalworking skills to build my inventions. What about you?"

She licked her lips, "I'm an adventurer. I just kinda find odd jobs to get by if I need to, but I find plenty of cash from the people who try to ambush me on the trails. Of course, I've been using the trains to cover major distances, and buses occasionally. But I like nature so I also hike when I can."

"Ah, that explains why your sword is broken."

"Yep, it just broke a few days ago."

"So, how did you get my grandfather's name?"

She seemed to hesitate for a second, "I got it off of some guy in the town next door. He was a local savant who knew the best places around here, and when I talked to him about a repair job, he referred me to you."

I was slightly shocked, I really didn't know there were people who knew all of the best places around and referred travelers to places, "Okay. Well, it's good to know that people still regard my grandfather's business as the best. I just hope I can live up to those expectations."

However, I thought in private, (What the? Shouldn't people have heard by now he's dead? Odd, but not completely unusual.)

Dyne smiled, "I'm quite sure that you will continue on your grandfather's legacy."

"Easier said than done."

Dyne looked at the stained glass window, "Wow, stained glass. Don't see that much of it nowadays. It's so… lovely."

I looked at the window, remembering all the intricate features of it and then I shifted my view other to Dyne, "It is."

"I love how it always make the colors bright and alive. It just bathes things in color."

I was now focused on how the light gave Dyne's face green and brown colors, "It sure does.

She turned towards me and gave a faint smile, I gave a faint smile in return, "Yep, I've never seen anything more beautiful than it in my life Lock. This one is a particularly good piece of art."

Eric soon arrived with our food, the soup and grilled cheese for me and a BLT for Dyne, "Enjoy your food guys."

We both muttered our thanks and slowly ate our food. We took our time eating as we were in no rush to get anywhere.

While we ate Dyne and I met eyes on more than one occasion, looking at her, I saw that she had Heterochromia, her right eye was a brilliant emerald green while her left was steel gray in color. "Never seen a person with two different eye colors before have you?"

"No, I've heard about it, but I never seen it before in real life."

I look down at my food, all that remained were dirty dishes and napkins, "So, are you finished yet?"

"Yep, I'm done." Dyne said as she shifted in her seat.

Good old Eric soon came, mints and bill in hand, "Ah, you're both done. Here's your bill."

"Thanks" I said as I took it and went over it, Dyne turned to get a better look at the bill.

"I'll help pay for it Lock." Dyne said.

"No, it's all right, I'll pay for it."

"Come on, let me at least help."

"All right, 50/50?

"50/50 it is then."

The two of us paid the bill and the tip. Afterwards we got up and made sure we had all of our stuff, "So Lock, where is the nearest hotel? I'd like to drop off all this stuff before we head over to your place."

I pointed up, "The hotel is right above us. Daniel runs both this restaurant and the hotel upstairs. We should go ask if he has any rooms available to rent out."

The two of us walked over to Dan as he stood over by the counter, "Hey guys, enjoy your food?"

Dyne nodded her head. "Yep. I haven't had anything good to eat for a while. I'd love to comeback. So Dan, do you have any rooms available?"

Dan shook his head, "Sorry Miss Dyne, all the rooms are reserved for the tournament coming up in about a week or so."

I nodded in understanding, "It's nine days till the tournament, but I'm surprised it already filled up." I tilted my head to the side, " Got some more people in this year?"

Dan nodded, "Actually, it's not well known, but some Maverick Hunters decided to come over to recruit and show off."

I rolled my eyes, "Ahh, they've been going around and trying to get members and PR kinda stuff."

Dyne looked down, "Are their any other places to stay here?"

Dan shook his head, "Sorry, there are other no hotels in this town. You'll have to find someone to room with." He looked at me with a grin.

I rolled my eyes, "Well you could stay over at my house Dyne." I knew this was awkward, but I just couldn't let her sleep on the streets. That would go against my ethics.

Dyne turned to me with a smile, "Well Lock, I wouldn't mind staying over with you. It would get boring being all alone in a hotel." She slowly and gently touched my hand, "Besides, your fun to talk to."


End file.
